greatwide transportation

After they took over did they try to sell you a truck? that is usually what they do.

 

Ive worked for Greatwide In Las Vegas Nv (in The Chep pallet division since Nov 2006 as a company driver).Ive been driving for almost 15years.Ive driven for many outfits during this time.Swift,JB,BunzlUSA,UPS dedicated services,Phillips Petroleum services,and so on.
This November 1st will make 5 years( so if they are reading this they will find me)

the good about Greatwide.
They have kept me alive(barely) but alive,during this economic Downturn,but still I was able to pay the bills,buy a house and a car(after Mine was stolen out of the work parking lot there(No Theft Insurance,that was a bonerhead move).
I'm paid about $600.00 a week($490.00 after taxes if I worked a full 40 hours)
They did Hire me sight unseen(when They were Total Transportaion by reading my resume on career builder and called me out of the blue)

The bad about Greatwide.
Until theFMCSR laws changed,I was driving a very junkie truck,and I would complain and they would find sticks and bubble gum to fix it to run another day,Now Im in an International leased from Penske.This means the maintanence got better.Unfortunatly I'm the only one whom is hourly.My Boss(the senior driver) makes about three times as much as me and has Been there a number of years.He is 73 and On salary.If I make 40 hours per week I consider it a friggin miracle.I keep waiting for Him to retire, but he's an old rodeo rider so I think He'll die first. On my old truck,To get new tires was like pullin teeth.My Boss thinks the money is comin out of His pocket(mainly due to the fact that whats not spent in the budget goes to His yearly bonus.Meanwhile,at the first of the year,Corporate stopped giving us overtime and said theywere now going by federal guidelines.yet the take 30 minutes out of everyday for a lunch.I fought that war with human resources and won.I can sit for the half hour at the end of the day since there is no real time to take a lunch due to the delivery times in my route.My boss here went furious ad calls me a crook, for that.When I started, I started at $13.00 an hour(man what was I thinkin?)I'm at $15.01 now and the raises have been delayed and pushed back(AGAIN!)
Since the bankruptcy and restructure, we have lost all the other divisions/ product we would run except Chep.This company won't run us out of the valley here,yet they sub-lease the short runs out of state to outside carriers.Ive come to the understanding that This is an old mans company and they don't want to grow.At least the way they run business here in vegas.Every other company Ive driven for wouldn't even try to run a business as these guys do.All I know is I'm tired of this, and am looking for a company that does short hauls so I can be home every other night, but its slim pickens here in vegas.